An Occupational Heat Stress and Hydration Assessment of Agricultural Workers in North Mexico

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

RiettaS. Wagoner¹  StephanieC. Griffin¹  NicolasI. López-Gálvez¹  PalomaI. Beamer¹  JillG. de Zapien²  RobertA. Canales³ 

[1] Department of Community, Environment, and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;

关键词: climate change;    dehydration;    farm worker;    heat strain;    thermal stress;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph17062102

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Expanding agribusiness in Northern Mexico has increased demand for workers from Southern Mexico, with hundreds of thousands migrating for work annually. Extreme temperatures, physical labor, and low fluid consumption place workers at risk for heat strain and dehydration, commonly underreported hazards in the agricultural industry. The objectives of this pilot study were to assess heat exposure and hydration status of a population of migratory agricultural workers in Northern Mexico throughout the grape harvest season. In addition to demographic information, environmental conditions, hydration status, and core body temperatures were collected. The majority listed Chiapas as their home state, nearly half spoke an Indigenous language, and none had completed high school. The wet-bulb globe temperature was significantly higher during the harvest and post-harvest seasons compared to the pre-harvest season. Across the different seasons, the majority were dehydrated post-shift, and mean core body temperature of workers was not significantly different. This project highlights the need for targeted interventions to improve hydration and prevent heat stress in this region. As the number of warm days is expected to rise each year worldwide, it will be increasingly important to engage in practices to protect vulnerable populations, such as migratory agriculture workers.

【 授权许可】

Unknown